Subscription television in Australia

Subscription television was approved for introduction in Australia by the Federal Government in 1992 and became commercially available in 1995.

By the end of 2004, the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association(ASTRA) reported that there were approximately 1.6 million households subscribing to subscription television services, or 23.7 per cent of Australian households. That’s almost one in every four households!

In Australia, there are four leading subscription television services:

• TransACT operates a cable-based service in the ACT,
• Optus TV provides cable services in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and satellite services in selected areas,
• Foxtel , provides cable services in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and satellite services in selected areas,
• Austar provides satellite services across regional Australia.

In Australia, only one subscription television service, TransACT, provides true video on-demand services.